Tuesday August 19th, 2008

In this issue:

• Monsanto
• Organic Provisions in 2008 Farm Bill
• Honeybee Deaths
• Upcoming events

Monsanto Dairy Hormone Division For Sale Amid Consumer Concerns

By Jane Akre Injury Board
August 6, 2008

Monsanto announces its selling its posilac division that makes bovine growth hormone.
St. Louis-based Monsanto announced today it is selling the division that produces bovine growth hormone, also known as rBGH or rBST.

There's no problem with the product, insists the company. During a conference call today, Monsanto's Chrissie Chavis told reporters that Posilac, as it's known commercially, is a "solid successful product of significant value to dairy farmers."

But nationwide a growing number of consumers and dairy processors feel otherwise. "No artificial growth hormones used" is now commonly displayed on store shelves from Florida to California.

The proposed sale, she said, allows the company to focus on genetically engineered seed. "Our long term growth platform is focused on corn, soybeans, cotton and vegetables. Repositioning the business would ensure that loyal dairy farmers could continue to receive the value of Posilac in their operations."

Posilac, is sold in an injectable form to an unknown number of dairy farmers in the U.S. and internationally. Monsanto refused to divulge sales figures, but insists that one-third of the nation's cows receive injections. The USDA estimate that number to be more in the range of 15 percent.

The dairy drug is now made at the company's Augusta, Georgia plant after production problems at its Austrian facility forced it to close earlier this year.

The sale would include the Augusta, Georgia plant facility. In the meantime it's "business as usual," said Chavis about whether operations there would cease.

Monsanto has no timeline for the sale and would not comment to *IB News* on any prospective buyers, though Chavis says the product could complement animal production or pharmaceutical companies.

Consumer surveys show that over the last decade, consumers have rejected buying milk from artificial hormone treated cows.

In the last several years, major retailers such as Safeway, Publix and Kroger have decided to ban the artificial hormone in their store-brand milk. Starbucks has refused to purchase dairy from treated cows at its 6,793 company-operated stores. Chipotle Mexican Grill, a McDonalds spinoff, has banned rBST in its company stores.

In January, Kraft Foods announced it would offer a line of cheese made with rBGH-free milk, despite assurances from the FDA that it is safe. Glanbia, a high-volume cheese production company in Idaho and New Mexico, will phase out the use of Posilac by next year. Dean Foods, the largest U.S. dairy company now offers a line of rBST-free products.

Recently agriculture officials around the country moved to limit labels on dairy products that disclosed whether they came from treated or untreated cows. In February, consumer pressure led to a reversal of a labeling prohibition in Pennsylvania.

Has pressure from consumers led to Monsanto's decision? Chavis denies it. "Our core focus is in the seeds and trace business. Since 1994 it's (Posilac) been a very strong product for us. We've sold more doses this year than we sold last year. We see significant opportunity in the future in the U.S. as well as the international markets."

The company plans to continue sales outside of the country, particularly Mexico and Brazil.

rBGH is approved for use in 20 countries, says the Monsanto spokesperson, although it is banned in all of Europe, Japan, Australia and other industrialized countries, with the exception of the U.S.

rBGH was approved by the FDA in November 1993 and marketed in February 1994. Studies show that milk from treated cows has an increased level of a spinoff hormone, IGF-1, which causes the cow to produce more milk. IGF-1 is identical in cows and humans, and studies show that it causes cells to proliferate, including cancerous cells.

The Cancer Prevention Coalition's Dr. Sam Epstein says that the IGF-1 from rBGH treated milk is "supercharged" and can lead to an increased number of cancers in humans. Consumers Union cites that elevated mastitis rates among treated cows leads to additional antibiotic treatment in the animal. Bacterial resistance to antibiotics "may pass into humans through milk, air, water or soil, or through ground meat", says Michael Hansen, a senior scientist with CU.

Terry Etherton, at Penn State University, says the growth of rBGH-free products is "part of a smoke-and-mirrors campaign" that means consumers are paying more for products of questionable value.

Chavis positioned the new face of Posilac as a "green" alternative for farmers. Studies at Cornell University, where Monsanto has funded dairy scientist Dale Bauman and his studies since the 1990s, show that the drug allows big savings in terms of feed and land.

"As the environmental pressure on agriculture gets greater, this allows dairy producers to produce more milk with less (sic) cows thereby reducing the overall carbon footprint of milk production," said Chavis.

Posilac was the first in a long line of genetically engineered products to be introduced by Monsanto, a former chemical company. Monsanto is increasingly focusing on buying seed companies and converting the industry to its own brand of genetically engineered seeds, where qualities of foreign plants or plants and animals are merged to create seeds that can be patented. The company then charges a premium for the seeds and requires farmers internationally to sign user contracts.

More than half of the U.S. soybeans and corn that make up roughly 70 percent of pre-packages grocery store items come from genetically engineered ingredients.

Recently, rBGH has been tested on catfish and tilapia to increase growth.

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Organic Trade Association & USDA in 'Historic' Meeting on Implementation of Organic Provisions in 2008 Farm Bill

Organic Consumers Association
August 17, 2008

On August 13, in Greenfield, Mass., the USDA’s Farm Bill Implementation Team met with several representatives of the organic community, led by the Organic Trade Association (OTA), which arranged the meeting to discuss implementation of organic provisions in the 2008 Farm Bill.

Other groups represented at the meeting were the Center for Food Safety, Florida Organic Growers, Food and Water Watch, National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), National Organic Coalition, Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), Rodale Institute, and the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.

The meeting was co-hosted by Lowell Randel, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Congressional Relations, and Floyd Gaibler, Deputy Under Secretary of the Farm and Foreign Agriculture Services (both USDA). Other agencies represented at the meeting were the Agricultural Marketing Service, Agriculture Research Service, National Resources Conservation Service, Risk Management Agency, and the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service.

At the meeting, members of the organic community especially emphasized the implementation of a USDA nationwide support system for conversion to organic agriculture. Participants also stressed the importance of funding the National Organic Program (NOP), providing organic research, production and market data, organic crop insurance, provisions for organic agriculture in conservation programs, and the national cost share certification program.

Mark Lipson, Senior Policy Analyst for the Organic Farming Research Foundation, said "…as we shift from legislative advocacy to the hard work of implementation…our wins in the Farm Bill must be integrated into each agency's work plan as directed by the USDA leadership, but it won't happen automatically…The broader organic community must continue to work together, share the workload, and present a united front.” David Gagnon, Interim Executive Director of the Organic Trade Association, said: "This was an historic opportunity to present key information on the significance of these organic provisions to the team charged with developing the rules implementing the Farm Bill.”

USDA’s Farm Bill Implementation Team has 90 days after the June 18 enactment date of the 2008 Farm Bill to devise 70 Farm Bill implementation rules, including the conversion provision.

In related news, OTA will host an educational event, "Growing U.S. Organic Agriculture: Accessing the 2008 Farm Bill," at the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business on November 12.

Participants at the event will learn how to access the new organic provisions in the 2008 Farm Bill. Attendees will include certifiers, farmers & farm associations, Extension Service agents, land grant colleges, State Departments of Agriculture.

For more information visit www.ota.com, or contact Marissa Potter mpotter@ota.com

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Honeybee Deaths Reaching Crisis Point Threatening Fruit and Vegetable Pollination

By Alison Benjamin
The Guardian, UK, August 12, 2008

Abstract: 1 in 3 of UK's honeybees did not survive winter and spring pollination of fruit and vegetables at risk…

Britain's honeybees have suffered catastrophic losses this year, according to a survey of the nation's beekeepers, contributing to a shortage of honey and putting at risk the pollination of fruits and vegetables.

The survey by the British Beekeepers' Association (BBKA) revealed that nearly one in three of the UK's 240,000 honeybee hives did not survive this winter and spring.

The losses are higher than the one in five colonies reported dead earlier this year by the government after 10% of hives had been inspected.

The BBKA president, Tim Lovett, said he was very concerned about the findings: "Average winter bee losses due to poor weather and disease vary from between 5% and 10%, so a 30% loss is deeply worrying. This spells serious trouble for pollination services and honey producers." The National Bee Unit has attributed high bee mortality to the wet summer in 2007 and in the early part of this spring that confined bees to their hives. This meant they were unable to forage for nectar and pollen and this stress provided the opportunity for pathogens to build up and spread.

But the BBKA says the causes are unclear. Its initial survey of 600 members revealed a marked north-south divide, with 37% bee losses in the north, compared to 26% in the south. "We don't know why there is a difference and what is behind the high mortality," said Lovett.
The government recognises that the UK's honeybee hives - run by 44,000 mostly amateur beekeepers - contribute around £165m a year to the economy by pollinating many fruits and vegetables. "30% fewer honeybee colonies could therefore cost the economy some £50m and put at risk the government's crusade for the public to eat five portions of fresh fruit and vegetables a day," Lovett warned.

The Honey Association warned last month that English honey will run out by Christmas and no more will be available until summer 2009. It blames the shortage on fewer honeybees and farmers devoting more fields to wheat, which has soared in price but does not produce nectar.

The UK's leading honey company is so concerned by the crisis that it has pledged to donate money to honeybee research. From next month, for each jar of Rowse English honey sold in supermarkets 10p will be donated to a fund dedicated to improving the health of the nation's honeybees.

Full Story: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/aug/12/conservation.wildlife1

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Upcoming Events

Summer Shorebird Walk

August 23, 2008 10am - noon

FREE, Pre-Registration Required
Come on out to the Interpretive Center and join us for a leisurely stroll along Liberty

Walk as we look for and identify our summer shorebirds. Dress to be outside, bring binoculars if you have them, we have a limited number that can be borrowed. Spaces are limited! Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Groups of 8 or more call for special arrangements.
For more info contact: www.folsp.org

Slow Food Nation '08

Come to the Table Labor Day weekend from August 29 - September 1

San Francisco, California
There is no event, like a Slow Food event... Join in this culinary extravaganza in one of the greatest food capitals of the world from the groundbreaking of the Slow Food Nation Victory Garden to the Marketplace at the Civic Center to the Food for Thought Speaker Series speaker series and Taste Pavilion at the Fort Mason Center. Most events are free, unless otherwise noted.
For more info contact: slowfoodnation.org

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